by Iona Rose
Chapter Seventeen
Ashton
I went home last night feeling a strange mix of frustrated and elated. Elated that something finally happened between Elena and I and frustrated that we didn’t get a chance to finish what we started. I was also a little disconcerted that she wouldn’t talk to me afterwards. She would barely even look at me. But I know I didn’t force anything on her. She was the one who instigated it, and I know that look in her eye when she kissed me wasn’t fake. She wanted me.
Now I’ve had a little taste of what Elena and I could be together, now I’ve seen for sure that she wants me like I want her, I am more determined than ever to have her. I spent most of last night tossing and turning, thinking about Elena. I jerked off twice to thoughts of Elena, remembering the way her pussy felt beneath my fingers, warm and slick with lust. It didn’t help. It didn’t release the frustration inside of me. Only Elena can do that.
I have to find a way to make her open herself up to me, to tell me what stopped her from going all in. I’d like to believe she was flustered and embarrassed because of the repair man’s terrible timing, but I feel like it’s more than that.
When I told her I knew who she was and apologized for the way I treated her back in school, she played it casual, but I think there’s more to it. I think she’s still carrying a lot of that around with her, and I think that’s what’s getting in her way when it comes to letting me all the way in.
I’m not ready to give up on her yet though. Far from it. I’ll find a way to make her see that everything I did to her was just a misguided way of getting her to notice me. And I’ll show her that I’ve grown up now and have much better ways of getting a woman’s attention. I’ll woo the fuck out of her until she can see it for herself.
I head out to my car ready to go to the office. I am driving along the high street when a florist’s shop catches my attention. I smile to myself and pull over to the curb outside of the shop. I get out of the car and go inside. A little bell rings overhead as I push the door open and a dark-haired woman holding a pair of pruning shears and wearing a green apron with tiny cherries on it appears through an arched doorway.
“Good morning,” she smiles brightly. “Do you need any help?”
“Good morning,” I reply, returning her smile. “I need something special. Something unique. Something as impressive as roses but without the cliché.”
“I know just the thing,” she says. She bends down and pulls out a brochure. She flicks through it. “I think our blue dendrobium will be perfect. They’re an orchid and they’re vibrant and colorful while being unique and special.”
She finds the right place in the brochure and turns it so I can see the orchids. I smile and nod.
“Yes,” I say. “Those are perfect. I know it’s short notice, but is there any chance you can deliver them this morning?”
“I can, but it’ll cost extra,” she says, almost apologetically.
“If she’s worth orchids, she’s worth the delivery fee right?” I smile.
“Right,” the florist agrees, relaxing a little when she sees I’m not going to complain and try to get something for nothing.
“Where are they going?” she asks.
I give her Wave’s address and tell her they’re for Elena Woods.
“And do you want the small bunch, the medium, the large or the extra-large?”
“The extra-large,” I say without hesitation.
She tells me the price and I push my debit card into the reader. It’s a lot of money for something that will be dead in a week to ten days, but it’s a small price to pay to show Elena that last night meant more to me than just a fumble.
“Can you add a vase to that?” I ask.
I haven’t put my pin number in yet so it shouldn’t be too late.
“Carry on with the pin number sir. I’ll throw the vase in for free,” the florist smiles.
I thank her and finish up the transaction. She hands me a receipt and a little card with an equally little envelope.
“If you want to put a message on there, here’s a pen,” she says, handing me a pen from off the counter. “Or you can choose from one of our pre-printed cards if you would prefer.”
I take the pen and think for a moment. I bend down and write out a message on the card. I smile to myself when I read it back.
“Some people have Paris. Some people have Rome. But you and I will always have the lift.”
I add an A and a row of x’s to the bottom of the message and put the card in the envelope. I am writing Elena’s name on the card when the florist speaks again.
“She must be special,” she says knowingly.
“She is,” I say. “She’s the most special girl I’ve ever met.”
I don’t know why I’m telling this stranger all of this, but it just kind of comes out.
“I’ve loved her since I was fourteen. But back then I was an idiot to say the least. I got her to notice me by humiliating her and yeah ... I guess bullying her. Now she’s come back into my life and I want her to know I’ve changed. I just don’t know what to say to convince her of that.”
“Actions speak louder than words,” she smiles. “It’s a cliché but it’s true. There’s nothing you can say to convince her you’ve changed. You have to show her. Give her time and treat her the way you wish you always had.”
“That’s kind of what I’ve been doing, but I’m afraid it’s not enough,” I say.
“It’s enough,” she reassures me. “A genuine gesture is always enough.”
“Thanks,” I say, pushing my wallet into my pocket and heading for the exit to the store. I look back over my shoulder. “And not just for the flowers.”
“Good luck,” she smiles back at me.
I might just need it.
Chapter Eighteen
Ashton
I get to the office building and go directly to my own office. The ride up to our floor is quite an experience. I can’t help but remember Elena wrapped in my arms, her legs around me, my fingers massaging her clit.
I want to go to Elena the moment I step out of the lift, but I decide to wait a while. I tell myself it’s to let her get settled into her work without being flustered, but the truth is, I’m a coward. I want to hang back as long as I can so I still have at least a small hope that she’s not going to shut this thing down before it even begins. I also kind of want her to get the flowers first. If I see them in the kitchen bin, then I have my answer. Plus, if she shuts me down, it’ll seem weird and inappropriate her getting flowers from me. If they come first, then at least it won’t look creepy.
I happen to be looking out of my office door when the delivery man passes with the bouquet. Of course I’ve spent half of the morning watching the hallway so I can see him arriving. I really need to focus more on my work, but Elena is all I seem to be able to think about these days.
The bouquet really is huge. It’s already in the vase, beautifully arranged, and I make a mental note to leave the florist a glowing review. I get up and move to the front of my office, opening the door a crack. I hear Elena asking if the guy has the right office and him assuring her the flowers are for her. He leaves and I wait a few minutes, giving Elena a chance to open the card.
I take a deep breath and leave my office, heading towards the bathroom. I glance in at Elena. She’s holding the card in her hands, looking down at it and she’s smiling. That has to be a good thing. I go to the bathroom and wash my hands at the sink for something to do. I don’t think she saw me go by, but just in case, I don’t want it to be obvious that I was passing by to gauge her reaction to the flowers.
I leave the bathroom and head back to my office. I am debating going into Elena’s now instead, but I see Jess coming along the hallway. She could be going to use the kitchen or the bathroom, but I can’t risk her wanting to talk to me or Elena and interrupting us, so I go back to my original plan. I glance into Elena’s office again. The bouquet is sitting on the edge of her desk and although sh
e’s focused on her computer now, she’s still smiling.
“Have you got a minute Ashton?” Jess asks as I reach my office.
“Of course,” I say, holding the door open for her. She sits down without waiting to be asked. “Is there a problem?”
“Maybe,” she says.
“The new software?” I ask, cold dread filling me.
She shakes her head quickly.
“No, nothing like that. We’re right on schedule with that. This is a little more delicate. I don’t want to cause any trouble, but I don’t know ... something’s a little off and I think you need to know about it.”
I sit down and nod for her to go on. I’m intrigued rather than worried now.
“I got an email from Elena this morning. It was kind of nasty, attacking my diary program and saying basically that it wasn’t sophisticated enough and that the interface was clunky. I went storming along to her office to give her a piece of my mind, but when I went in, she smiled at me and just started chatting like everything was normal. It threw me enough that I calmed down a little. I asked her how she was finding the diary program and she started singing its praises, talking about the features and how easy it was to use. I didn’t say anything about the email and I left her office more confused than when I got there.”
“You think maybe she hit a snag or something and lashed out instead of asking for help?” I ask.
It doesn’t sound like Elena, but for Jess to be here talking to me about this, the email had to be pretty harsh and I want to at least hear her out.
“That was my first thought,” Jess says. “But it just didn’t sit right with me. Elena and I have become friends and I couldn’t see any reason why she would be so nasty to me. I decided to reread the email and see if maybe I was being a little touchy. I wasn’t. It was harsh. But I noticed that the email wasn’t sent from Elena’s work email address. Now that makes sense – you send an email like that, you don’t want to risk HR seeing it.”
“Ok,” I say, still not sure where she’s going with this.
“The email address wasn’t anything you would expect. Not a combination of Elena’s name or anything. It was just a string of random numbers and letters. I figured maybe she’d set it up rather than using her own email address, but that made no sense. Why set up an anonymous email account if you’re going to sign your name at the bottom? I did a little more digging and the email had been bounced through a hundred and one servers to keep the original IP address masked.”
“Right,” I say, still a little lost.
“Well doesn’t it strike you as odd that someone would do that when they put their name on the email?” Jess says.
“I guess,” I admit.
“Look this might be me jumping to conclusions, but I kind of think maybe someone is trying to make Elena look bad. That they sent that email in her name to make me mad at her.”
“Or that’s what she wanted you to think,” I say, playing devil’s advocate.
“But why?” Jess says. “Why would she even send an email like that?”
I consider this for a moment and I decide to confide in Jess.
“What I’m about to say doesn’t leave this office.”
Jess nods. I tell her about the switched reports and that I have my suspicions that someone is purposely trying to sabotage Elena. Jess raises an eyebrow.
“She really must have pissed someone off. But who? She seems to get on with everyone.”
“I don’t know. Is there any way you can trace that email?” I ask.
She shakes her head.
“Seriously Ashton. The FBI wouldn’t be able to trace that thing.”
“Ok,” I say. “Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I’ll look into it. I’m determined to get to the bottom of this. I hate to think anyone here would do something like this, but if they are, I need to know who and why.”
“I’ll let you know if I hear anything or get anymore emails,” Jess says, standing up.
I nod and she leaves my office.
Chapter Nineteen
Ashton
One of two things is happening here. Either Elena is in way over her head here and is making mistakes and acting out like this to cover them, or someone genuinely is sabotaging her. I’m inclined to think it’s the latter. But who?
David Malone was pretty pissed off that I hired her against his recommendations, but he was pissed off at me, not Elena. And besides, surely someone working in HR would be above this kind of school yard behavior. I just can’t think who else might have something against Elena. I intend to find out though.
Whatever the answer to this is, it doesn’t make any sense. It makes no sense that one of my own staff, people who I have worked with for years in a lot of cases would suddenly start doing this. But it makes even less sense that Elena is doing this herself. If she made a mistake with the diary program, it would have made more sense for her to go to Jess and ask for help fixing it than accuse her of designing a bad program. And she clearly didn’t know what Jess was talking about. Or she’s one hell of a liar to convince Jess she didn’t.
There’s one explanation for this. One I don’t want to consider, but I think I’ve reached a point where I have to. There’s always the possibility that Elena has made a few mistakes and she’s so afraid that I’ll scold her or worse that she’s covering her tracks anyway she knows how.
I don’t like how that sits with me. The thought of her being that afraid of me hurts me deep inside. And it doesn’t feel quite right. Elena’s a woman now. Surely she wouldn’t be so afraid of me.
I think it’s past time I went to her office and talked to her. And not just about last night. I sigh as I stand up and leave my office. I tap on Elena’s door as a courtesy and go in. She looks up from her computer, her cheeks flushing slightly when she sees me.
“Thank you for the flowers. They’re beautiful,” she says.
“You’re welcome. I figured they might help you get over your ordeal,” I smile.
I go and sit down and I look at Elena for a moment. She looks back at me, searching my face for the answers to a question she hasn’t asked me and I can’t even begin to guess at.
“Elena I’m going to ask you something and I want you to be honest with me,” I say. She nods her head for me to go. I take a calming breath and then I just say it. “Are you afraid of me?”
“No,” she says. “Should I be?”
Is she flirting with me? I hope so, but I don’t want to read this wrong.
“Of course not,” I say.
“What makes you ask that?” she says.
I don’t want to tell her everything Jess has just told me. It’s not going to help her feel relaxed here if she thinks someone is out to get her and that the someone almost cost her friendship with Jess.
“Well, the way you practically ran away from me last night when we got out of the lift for one,” I say.
“If I remember correctly, you were the one who ran from me,” she points out.
“I didn’t run from you Elena. I got the impression you didn’t want to talk about what had happened and so I left you alone so you didn’t think I was being pushy or anything.”
“I didn’t want to talk about. And I still don’t to be honest,” she says. “It was a mistake and we shouldn’t have let it happen.”
That kind of deflates me, but I turn the conversation back around to my original point.
“I know we have some history, and I’d like to leave that in the past. But you don’t have to be afraid of me ok? I would never do anything to hurt you. So if you ever make a mistake at work or anything, please don’t feel like you can’t just admit it to me,” I say.
“This is about the reports from the shareholder meeting isn’t it?” she says.
I nod.
“I don’t know what to tell you. I’ve already told you what little I know about it. And I’m not lying because I’m afraid to tell you the truth. If I had printed out the wrong reports, or grabbed the wrong fil
e, I would hold my hands up to it. I swear it.”
She seems so genuine, her voice earnest, her eyes begging me to believe her. And I do believe her. As much as I don’t want to believe someone here is trying to make her look incompetent, I do believe that.
“I believe you Elena,” I say, meaning it. “I just wanted to be absolutely sure before I take this any further.”
“Look maybe it was just some sort of prank. Can’t we just let this go? I promise to be extra careful from now on and double check everything,” she says.
If it was just the mixed-up reports, I’d probably agree to that, but the email makes this a whole lot more serious. What if whoever sent that email starts sending them to other people in the company, people who won’t dig into it like Jess did? I don’t want to make Elena think this is going to turn into some big witch hunt though.
“I’m not going to make a big fuss about it, but I’m not ready to just let it go either. I’m going to be keeping a very close eye on the staff ok?”
She nods although she doesn’t look happy about it. She yawns which she attempts to stifle. I can’t help but smile.
“It seems I’m not the only one who didn’t get much sleep last night,” I say.
I regret saying it the moment I open my mouth, but Elena surprises me. She doesn’t seem mad or even embarrassed by my comment. Instead she laughs softly and shakes her head.
“I’ve had more restful nights,” she admits coyly.
This is my chance. She’s given me an in that I didn’t think would be coming after she insisted she didn’t want to talk about last night. Maybe she doesn’t regret it quite as much as she seems to want to.
“Will you have dinner with me tonight Elena?” I ask.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” she says quickly.
Too quickly. It’s like she wants to agree, but something is holding her back. I think she knows that if we’re alone together tonight that she won’t be able to stop herself from finishing what we started last night.